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Jessica was unsettled. This whole business with Eudora was peculiar, especially as the entourage of people who followed her here seemed to continue multiplying.
She knew when she opened her cupboard that morning that Eudora had stolen her manuscript. Following her out to her car, the woman had been rigid and cold and Jessica had understood in a flash that it was in Eudora’s attaché case.
Eudora was a professional acquaintance. They had never been friends. Or even more than pleasant towards each other. Eudora had appeared to always keep people at arm’s length. Jessica had great respect for her talent and had always read each of her novels upon release. They had met numerous times over the years at industry events, even meeting Eudora’s husband and step-son on occasion but that was the extent of what she really knew about the woman.
Finishing tidying her kitchen, Jessica sighed. Picking up an apple from the basket, she stared out the window turning her mind to the murder, wondering again if Eudora was involved, knowing somehow that she must be.
Taking a bite of the apple, she chewed. It tasted sweet and juicy. Yet, as soon as she swallowed it, she began to feel dizzy. She tried to grip the countertop to break her fall, but it was too late…
S/J
“Jessica!”
Seth had entered her kitchen calling for her. The lights were on, but he sensed the second he crossed the threshold that something was not right. Turning the corner, he saw her on the floor, a small pool of blood by her head and her face deathly white.
Dropping to his knees, he growled, “Don’t you dare die on me, woman.” He felt for her pulse and checked her pupils, taking a relieved breath as he felt her faint heartbeat. Her pulse was weak, but it was there. He could work with that. Knowing she needed to be taken to the hospital immediately where he could do more for her, he did not take the time to staunch the bleeding from the head wound, but moved quickly to her phone calling for Mort and an ambulance. Once that was taken care of, he knelt back down beside her. With his clean handkerchief, he wiped the gash enough to get a better look. He did not think she had been attacked. Rather, he thought she had fallen and hit her head on the way down. More than likely on the countertop. But if that was true, why had she fallen?
Before he could think further, he heard a flurry of car doors slam, followed by shouts and the pounding of feet on the back porch, before Mort and the paramedics were there beside him.
“Doc! Step back so they can get her on the stretcher.”
Seth used the chair to haul himself back up for the second time in the span of minutes, aware that the adrenaline he had been working off of was fading in a hurry. But seeing the two paramedics work efficiently, he shook himself. He may be terrified, but Jessica needed him.
He would not fail her.
Because if he did, he would die with her.
S/J
An hour later, Seth had run every test under the sun. Jessica was stabilized but remained unconscious in the ICU. Monitors were beeping. She was breathing on her own, but it was labored.
Her CT showed a small hematoma and concussion, likely caused by her hitting her head when she fell. But so far, those were the only results he had. He had stitched her head wound himself once she was stable, alone. He did not want a nurse to assist him, nor was he going to let anyone else place stitches on her beautiful face that could leave scars. Besides, placing the sutures had given him something to do, keeping his hands busy, once it became clear that there was nothing more he could do at the moment. He detested feeling helpless, especially when it came to Jessica.
After placing the six dissolvable sutures just above her right eyebrow, he had put away his supplies and tried to think of anything else that would make her more comfortable. The wait was draining and left him anxious and afraid, two emotions he tried to avoid.
He had told everyone involved at the nurses’ station that the moment any of her labs or tests came back, he wanted to know. He would not leave her side. Even if it killed him to sit there waiting and hoping she would wake up. He knew it had not even been an hour since they had arrived at the hospital, but he was not sure why she had not woken up yet and he racked his brain trying to think of anything possible he could have missed in his assessment.
He pushed the button on the side of her bed.
"Nurses' station."
"Bernie, any labs or tests back yet?"
"I was just printing them off for you, Doc. Give me another 30 seconds and you will have them in your hands."
He told her thanks, standing up, even though he retained his grip on Jessica's smooth hand. Her warmth and the slight rise and fall of her chest, were the only things giving him any comfort right now.
“Hang on, Jess. Please. Give me the chance to fix whatever is wrong.”
Bernie raced into the room with Jessica’s chart in her hands, shuffling through the pages. She handed it to him, pointing at the top of the second page, “This is what you need to see, Doc.”
His eyebrows rose to his hairline, before telling her to bring in an antidote immediately, already breathing a sigh of relief that the one required is a common one that the hospital readily keeps in supply.
With her other hand, she handed him a vial of the drug and syringe that she already knew he would need.
“Bernie, remind me to give you a raise,” he said, measuring the amount needed based on Jessica’s height and weight, after doing the calculations in his head. He injected the medication into Jessica’s IV line, willing it to enter her bloodstream as quickly as possible and do its work.
When he finished, he disposed of the supplies, making a note in Jessica’s chart, before turning to hand it back to Bernie. Not letting go of his end though to get her attention, he met her gaze, saying, “Bernie, you hardly need accolades. I know you have been doing this for about as long as I have. But thank you. Your quick response may have saved her life.”
"Just doing my job, Doc.”
"And quite well at that.”
She smiled at him, before turning to leave the room.
"Oh, Doc?”
"Ayuh?”
"Maybe it’s time to tell her how you feel.”
Before he could turn around to say anything in reply, she was gone.
Bernie was nearing retirement. She usually worked in the emergency room, feeding off the adrenaline, but she also took plenty of shifts in the ICU as she was today, which was not any less frenetic. She was a no-nonsense woman, who Seth trusted. She was similar to Beverly in personality, which meant that she could say the occasional impertinent comment and get away with it.
Even so, he could not dwell on how he felt about Jessica right now. He knew he loved her, and had been in love with her for years, but beyond that, he needed to focus on getting her to wake up.
The antidote was fast acting. Or at least it should be. But what if there was something else wrong that he had missed? Being poisoned, combined with the head injury was not going to be easy to recover from. Jessica was a strong and healthy woman, but she wasn't young anymore. Neither was he.
Perhaps Bernie was right.
Well, if he couldn't get her to wake up, it wouldn't matter what he wanted to tell her.
Running his hand roughly over his face, he felt his age more than he could recall feeling it in some time. He moved back to the side of Jessica's bed, fussing with her sheets, tucking them around her body, making sure her hands weren't too cold and her IV tape was not pinching her skin.
Moving the chair as close to the side of her bed that he could, Seth sat down and gripped her cool hand with his warm one. He began massaging it, willing her to take in some of his warmth.
He did not intend on speaking, but suddenly the words came pouring out, "Jessica, you have to wake up. I need to know what happened to you. Who did this to you? They need to pay. Mort will make sure of it. I know he will and I will help him. But...Jess, I need you to wake up and drive me up the wall like you always do with all your travel and your medical questions on how to murder people for your books. I need to beat you at chess. We haven't played in far too long…I know. I know. You'll say it's only been a week, but that's too long…Anytime I'm not with you, is too long away from you. It's the worst when you go on your book tours for weeks on end. New York isn't much better, but at least you come home on the weekends."
He looked up at the heart monitors and took her pulse. 70 bpm. It matched the automated number on the screen. Normal. It had been too slow when he found her. Was it his imagination or was there more color to her face? Moving his hands over her hands and arms and up to her face, she felt slightly warmer, too.
Feeling nervous excitement, yet trying not to jump too far ahead of himself, he started to talk to her again. He kept his voice low and measured, trying to soothe, even as his own anxiety seemed to ratchet up another notch. He was not sure how it was even possible to have more anxiety than he already did and not have a stroke, but the only thing that mattered, all that mattered, was Jessica.
"Woman, your pulse is normal again. I want you to wake up and give me grief for fussing over you right now. But I am warning you, I'm not sure I will let you out of my sight anytime soon." He reached up to smooth her hair back from her forehead behind her ear, tracing her cheek with his fingertips. "You are so beautiful, Jess. I know I don't have any right to you…but I can't stop myself from telling you how I feel. How I’ve always felt. You have had my heart for so long and if you ceased to exist, I know I would, too. That sounds rather morbid and even melodramatic, and I know you would wave me off, saying that I survived losing Ruthie, but the difference is that Marjorie needed me then. She was young and still at home. Nobody needs me now. If you died, I would, too. That isn't meant to guilt you or pressure you. It's just a simple fact. Bernie told me a little while ago that I should tell you how I feel." Her eyes were still closed, but her breathing was consistent. She appeared merely asleep now and not injured, apart from the nasty cut above her eyebrow. "Jess, I love you. I know you know that. But I don't know if you really know how much. Or understand how lost…I would be without you…" his voice trailed off, as tears gathered in his eyes. He could no longer see her face, so overcome as he was with emotion. Covering one hand over his face, he let himself feel everything, as he continued to hold her hand with his other one.
The tears continued for several minutes. It was cleansing and even healing to release the emotions from his body. He did not know if he would have the nerve to repeat any of what he had said whenever she woke up, but he hoped he would.
When he finally wiped the tears from his eyes and glanced back up at Jessica, her wide blue eyes were open and staring at him, causing him to inhale sharply.
"Seth?" she asked, confused, her voice hoarse.
"You gave me a scare, woman! How do you feel?" He did not want to scare her in return, but he had to work to lower his voice after seeing that his initial response had startled her.
"May I have some water?"
Springing to action, he got her a cup and a straw, filling it with water from the nearby sink. He lifted her bed up enough for her to sip out of the straw. He watched as she drank, swallowing several times, before wetting her dry lips with her tongue. After a moment, she leaned forward to take another sip, before settling back against the pillow.
Sitting back in the chair, he reached for her hand. Her anxiety was palpable, as he sensed that she had no idea why she was in the hospital, even as he watched her take in her surroundings. He wanted to bombard her with questions to find out how and why she was poisoned, but he forced himself to wait for her to adjust.
At last, she opened her mouth to speak again, her voice still weak, but less hoarse after drinking, "Why am I in the hospital, Seth? What happened?"
"I came by to borrow your pie dish earlier and found you passed out in the kitchen with a bleeding open wound on your forehead. You wouldn't come to. I called for Mort and the paramedics. They brought you here and I've been running some tests."
"Oh? Am I alright?"
"I think you are going to be fine now, woman, but you about gave me a heart attack."
"Now? I wasn't fine before?"
Shaking his head, he tried to find the words to say what he needed without overwhelming her, but well, there was no good way to tell someone that they had been poisoned, that someone evil had intended to kill them, now was there? And there was certainly no way to tell the woman he loved that someone out there wanted her dead? Christ, he could murder whoever had done this to her with his bare hands.
"Tell me, Seth. What happened? What's wrong?"
He felt her thumb rub across his knuckles, startled that she was now the one comforting him, instead of the other way around. The tears pricked the corners of his eyes once again, but he felt the anger at whoever did this to her and he wiped them away before they could trace a path down his cheeks. But she could still see the emotion he was struggling with, as though it was tangible between them.
"Jess, someone poisoned you," he murmured, his voice grave, while maintaining eye contact. He watched as the words registered in her brain, before the pain of the hurt knowing that someone wished her harm showed next on her beautiful face, her features marred by the strong emotion they were now both experiencing.
He heard her breathing increase, as though she had been physically injured again and was trying to catch her breath, even as he surreptitiously looked at the bank of monitors on the other side of the hospital bed to make sure nothing was amiss.
Turning the tables once again, he began soothing her, gripping her hand tightly, rubbing circles over top with his other hand, even as he reached up a time or two to run his fingers down her cheek. He was being far more forward with her than he ever had been before, but he could not help himself. When she turned her face slightly into his palm to encourage him, his heart soared, even though he felt her fear.
“Jess, you are safe now. Look at me.” He watched as she made eye contact again, when he moved his hand away from her face to get her attention. “You have had the antidote. I have stitched your laceration. You have a minor concussion that will heal soon. Breathe. It will be alright.”
She remained quiet but listened to his words intently, needing to hear them and the solace they provided. When he told her to breathe, she took a deep inhale and he joined her, holding it a few seconds, before letting it out together. Whispering, he said, “That’s it, my dear. Inhale again.” Following his lead for the next few rounds, she became visibly calmer.
When she lessened her own grip of his hand, he risked the question that he desperately needed the answer to, so that Mort could find whoever had done this to her.
“Jess, do you have any idea how you were given the poison?”
The thought had not occurred to her yet, as she almost immediately began breathing shallowly again as it did, but he made his voice a bit stern, reminding her that she was safe now, but they did need to figure out who did this and the sooner they did, the better they would both feel.
“I don’t know, Seth. I haven't eaten since breakfast.”
“This poison would have taken effect almost immediately and would almost certainly have needed to be ingested. Are you sure you didn’t eat anything the rest of the day?”
“Oh!”
“What? Out with it, woman.”
“The apple! I had finished washing the dishes and I was looking out the window thinking about the murder, when I reached over and grabbed an apple out of the basket.”
“An apple? I didn’t see any apples.”
“They were over on the side counter.”
Grumbling, he let go of her hand, telling her that he had to tell Mort right away, even as he felt distraught at the loss of her hand.
Making the call, he told Mort what little they knew. Seth was silent for a moment as he listened, presumably to Mort replying before hanging up.
Moving back across to the bed, Seth reached for her hand and she gave it back to him readily. “Mort is going to the house now to see if he can find the apples for testing.”
Nodding at him, they sat in silence for a moment.
“Where did you buy the apples, Jess?”
“I didn’t…Eudora gave them to me.”
His eyebrows shot up, “Why didn’t you tell me that already?”
“I’m sorry, Seth. My brain is a little foggy. I just thought of it.”
His face shifted to one of concern as he squeezed her hand, “No, I am sorry. You haven’t done anything wrong, but let me call Mort again, to tell him about Eudora.”
“Alright, but…surely Eudora wouldn’t try to kill me?”
“I don’t know, Jess, but Mort needs all the information we can give him right now.”
Mort was already on his way to Jessica’s house when Seth called the sheriff's office, but Andy told him that he would radio Mort to let him know. Seth asked Andy to give him an update as soon as they knew anything, knowing that Mort would regardless of him asking. He was anxious though for news and hopefully, Andy understood that.
Turning back to Jess after hanging up once more, Seth asked, “So, how are you feeling, Jess? Does your head hurt? Your stomach? Anything you need?”
“Oh Seth, I’m fine. Just a bit tired and a small headache.”
Calling Bernie at the nurses’ station, he asked for some anti-inflammatories and a snack to see if Jessica could handle some food. When Bernie came through the door, she handed the medicine to Seth to dispense, before setting on the tray some hot tea with a few crackers and cheese.
“Good to see you awake, Mrs. Fletcher. See if you can keep that down and then, I will order you some dinner.”
“Thank you, Bernie.”
Looking from Jessica to Seth, then down to their joined hands, she made eye contact with Seth, before asking, “You need anything Doc, before I leave for the day?”
“No, I will be fine. Who is taking over?”
“Sue. She is putting the order in now to move Mrs. Fletcher out of the ICU into a regular room for the night. I hope I don’t see either one of you tomorrow because you will be released, Mrs. Fletcher. Now, make sure this grumbly man takes care of you, alright?”
The first hint of a smile graced Jessica’s lips.
Bernie noticed, saying, “Now, then. You are looking more and more like yourself every second. Have a good night, dear.”
They both thanked the nurse and wished her a good evening. When she left, Seth turned his attention to having Jessica eat. She was hungry, even though she was concerned she would not keep it down.
Only one way to find out, she supposed as she took her time nibbling on the small snack. The tea was warm and soothing and helped aid in calming her anxiety. Wasn't that always like a good cup of tea? It had a way of restoring a body to rightness. Even if only for a few minutes.
"Penny for your thoughts, woman?"
"Oh, I suppose I'm still thinking about the things you said yesterday. About working too much and using it to escape."
"Ayuh, now I said my piece, woman. We don't have to beat a dead horse. I know you don't agree with me."
"What gave you that idea?"
Stuttering in reply, he did not know what to say.
"It just so happens that I think you were right. But even so, it doesn't mean I know what to do about it when I am under contract."
Any possibility of further discussion at that moment would have to wait, as Sue, the night nurse knocked on the door without waiting on a reply before coming in and telling her charge that she was being moved to a regular room.
"Oh, that's good news. I don't want to take this spot any longer if someone else needs it."
"Well, Bernie told me that you have made a miraculous recovery in the last hour or so. Dr. Hazlitt, here, will decide for sure, but I bet that you get to go home in the morning."
Really smiling now, Jessica squeezed Seth's hand, saying that she would do her best to be released.
Seth gathered the few things in the room that had been used during her short time here, before he followed Sue as she wheeled Jessica down the hall to the elevator.
Settling into a regular private room on the main floor of the hospital, Seth busied around, making sure that Jessica was comfortable and had everything within easy reach.
“Oh, Seth, stop fussing.”
Jessica was perched up in bed, the pillows freshly fluffed behind her. Her eyes were tired and had lost their sparkle and her skin was still rather pale from the ordeal she had been through today. But her cheeks became red, as Seth stared at her, her face now frozen as though she had been caught in a trap with no way out.
He had no reason to think she had heard all he had said to her while she was unconscious earlier, but suddenly he began to wonder if he was wrong. He had begged her then to wake up so she could tell him to stop fussing and that is what she had done. His brain registered how much of a miracle that was and he was thankful to whatever deity existed that he had answered his prayer. Had it only been a product of her subconscious at work with her word choice? Or perhaps his natural inclination to fuss over her simply caused her to tell him to stop? Or were her red cheeks telling him that she had heard his confession?
“Jess?” It’s all he could say. He was terrified to say more until he had some indication of what she knew. Gone was his earlier confidence that he would tell her how he felt if she woke up. In its place was the same old, slightly overweight Seth Hazlitt, who would never measure up to the woman in front of him.
She did not say anything, but she did reach for him with her hand, palm up. He could not refuse her. Putting his hand in her own, he was surprised when he felt her pull him closer, indicating he should sit beside her. He moved the bulky side rest down, so that he didn’t hit himself in the ribs, as he perched on the edge of the hospital bed, nervous and tense.
She held his hand in a death grip, as though it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
“Seth, I owe you an apology.”
“Whatever for?”
“When I was coming to, before I had the energy to open my eyes, I heard your voice. I’m not sure if I heard everything you said, it is still a little murky in my mind, but I believe I heard most of it. I…should have told you immediately…It was lovely to hear what you said. I…knew you loved me. But I suppose, I was scared to do anything about it. Because, you see, I love you, too. And for some reason, that has always been terrifying and I have tried not to think about it. I always push it to the back of my mind every time I think about what I feel.”
“Why, Jess?”
“Why? Because you and I have already lost the two people we loved most in this world. I barely survived after Frank. And as you so astutely pointed out yesterday, I am still trying to escape and hide from my loneliness through my work…I can’t experience that again.”
"But, my dear, there are no guarantees in life. You know that. Don’t you realize that I am scared of the same thing? What happens if you go first and I am left to go through that again?”
"But that’s just it, I know it would kill you, Seth. Which is why I can’t be responsible for that either! I…I love you too much.”
“For Pete’s sake, Jess, you don’t think it will kill us already? Because let me tell you something, woman, after watching you lie there unconscious most of the afternoon, not knowing if you would wake up, I already got very familiar with those feelings. And you know what I discovered? That it would be worse not to risk everything and be with you! If I only ever love you with our walls firmly in place, never experiencing all that life has to offer, and I lose you anyway? That would be a helluva lot worse.”
Jessica’s face changed listening to Seth, considering every word he said. He gave her an opportunity to ponder his words without saying anything further, focusing on her soft hand that he held in his own.
“I…I never thought of it that way, Seth.”
He waited. His heart was in his throat and he knew whether she broke his heart now or she made it whole, he needed to listen and give her time to process.
After what felt like forever, but was not more than a minute, he felt her other hand reach up to his face. He reached with his own hand to hold it in place, careful not to put pressure on the IV.
"Darling, look at me.”
His heart raced, as he met her eyes. Her face still showed her exhaustion, but her eyes had somehow begun to sparkle again. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he would take whatever hope he could find.
She gave him a soft smile, as she whispered, “Darling, you are right. I love you. So much. And I…I am still terrified of losing you. But you are right. We will die one day and I can’t imagine the regret I would feel if you left me behind and we had never shared what we have felt for each other. I have been so wrong.”
Leaning forward, she kissed him with all the love she could channel, hoping that they would now have the physical chemistry that she desired. She felt the warmth flood her body when he responded to her kiss, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close, yet still so gentle, as it was obvious he was concerned about harming her.
When they paused for breath, she murmured, “Oh my, Seth,” before she pulled him back to her, again initiating a kiss that continued to build in heat and intensity.
“Oh, pardon me,” a woman’s voice said from the doorway, clearly flustered by their embrace, as she began to leave, realizing that she needed to deposit the food tray in her hands first, but not knowing if she should venture across the room closer to the lovebirds to do so.
Seth turned towards the door, beckoning the young woman inside, clearing the items from the table to set the food tray on. Jessica’s face had yet to lose her blush from earlier, but Seth appeared unaffected, thoroughly enjoying himself and refusing to be embarrassed.
When the woman left, they said their thanks, and she gave a slight wave, before firmly closing the door behind her.
“Alright, Jess, I know hospital food is terrible, but I did tell them to send you real eggs. None of that box business. Let’s see if you can manage some of it before you try to sleep.”
“I can manage, Seth. You don’t have to feed me.”
She sat up, adjusting the tray in front of her, and began eating slowly. She wanted to tell Seth to stop hovering, but she knew it was useless. As she was finishing up a short time later, she convinced him to finish what was left, as he had not eaten dinner.
Later on, a knock at the door distracted Seth from his vigil over Jessica and he went to answer it, ushering Mort inside.
“Hi Mrs. F. How are you feeling?”
“Much better, Mort.”
“Well, you look a lot better than when I saw you earlier today.”
She grimaced in reply. She knew she had a gash on her forehead and had been unconscious when Seth and Mort had brought her to the hospital. She did not want to focus on that now. Although, she did want to know what happened and who had done this to her.
Reading her mind, Mort added, “I wanted to stop by and let you both know that we found the apple that you had bitten into. It had rolled under the kitchen table when you blacked out. We took that and the basket and had them all tested. They were all poisoned. If you had managed another few bites, you would have died.”
That was a sobering thought. She reached for Seth’s hand and he gave it to her gladly. She needed him right then, as he needed her. Mort saw the exchange, but apart from a quirk of his mouth, said nothing.
"We have Ms. McVeigh in custody, but she swears she didn’t poison them.”
"I believe her, Mort. She may be a lot of things, but I don’t believe she is a murderer.”
"You sure about that?”
Jessica considered for a moment. The woman did steal her manuscript after drugging her the night before. But she wouldn’t admit that yet. She wanted more information first and her brain was still too foggy to concentrate.
Mort took her silence to mean agreement though, and glancing back at Seth, said, “Well, like I said, I’m holding her until I get to the bottom of this. You get some rest, Mrs. F, and I’ll let you know what I find out.” Tipping his hat at them, he left, closing the door behind him.
Not wanting to talk about Eudora anymore tonight, Jessica asked, “Seth, do you think I could have another cup of tea?"
Nodding, he used the call button to ask Sue. As they had both finished eating earlier, he cleaned everything up, moving the tray over to the counter, so the table was free for her hot tea, as well as her water glass, reading glasses and anything else Jessica might need within reach.
Sue brought in the hot tea, asking if they needed anything else, before leaving again.
Walking back to the bedside, Seth held her hand, asking if she was ready to try to sleep. Helping her get up to go to the bathroom and brush her teeth, he walked with her, his arm around her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin cotton of the hospital gown. The new hospital gowns had snaps on the side, allowing more modesty for patients, but they still did not leave much to the imagination. Not that Seth minded. He had hesitated at first to hold her closely, but he had to be sure she would not get dizzy. No need to take an unnecessary risk until she was back to full strength and her concussion had healed. She did not seem to mind, perhaps sensing that his presence was needed.
She sighed when she got back in bed, with the sheets and blanket tucked in around her. She was exhausted and pale again, but otherwise, looked much improved from earlier in the day.
“Seth?”
“Yes, my dear?”
“Will you stay here tonight?”
“I thought you heard me earlier when you were unconscious?” The teasing evident in his voice. “I told you then and I will tell you now, you aren’t leaving my sight for a good long while.”
“Good.”
Surprised, but not wanting to show it, he walked over to turn the lights off, except for the ones lighting the floor for the nurses that would come in and out during the night to check her vitals.
“Alright, Jess, I’m going to move over to the couch. They left me a pillow and blanket earlier. You get some sleep,” he said, as he kissed her on the forehead.
But Jessica had other ideas. “Seth, I know it’s a tight squeeze, but do you suppose you could try to sleep on the bed with me?”
He couldn’t contain his surprise, as he froze, his hand on her cheek and his body still bent over the bed. He opened his eyes and saw hers staring up at him.
“Please?”
Lowering the bedrail, he pulled back the sheets and shook off his shoes, as she moved over as far as she could, which was admittedly only a couple of inches. He tried to muffle his groan as he shifted on his side, trying to make sure he would not fall off, nor crush her in the process. He knew he would never sleep, but having Jessica Fletcher invite him to sleep beside her was not an offer he would ever turn down.
Ever.
She burrowed in beside him, her breath hitting the soft fabric of his scrub shirt under her face. He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her close.
“Jess, try not to worry. I know this situation is scary-“
“I’m not scared,” she said, scoffing.
“Of course you are, woman. Don’t lie to me. Someone, Eudora or someone else, tried to kill you today. I’m scared. It’s okay to admit. Better to admit it than pretend otherwise.”
She settled back against him, relaxing once again.
“I suppose you’re right, darling.”
“Ayuh. All I’m trying to say though, is that I am here and Mort will figure this out. And if he can’t, when you are better, I am sure you will.”
Chuckling now, she agreed.
Before she could fall asleep though, he needed to say one more thing, “Oh, and Jess?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you so much, my love. Will you marry me one day soon, so we can stop being afraid alone and be afraid together?”
She looked up at him in the darkness, her face full of tenderness and love. “Yes, Seth, I will.”
After another long and very satisfying kiss, she snuggled in once more against his body. Neither of them slept much, with nurses checking her vitals every few hours. Even so, Seth had never felt so alive as he did the next morning, after holding Jessica throughout the night.